The picture of who will win American Idol's sixth season isn't much clearer following Wednesday night's special Idol Gives Back results show, as none of the six remaining finalists were eliminated. However Idol judge Simon Cowell isn't shying away from revealing which two finalists he thinks will be singing for votes one last time during the sixth season's final performance episode on May 22.
ADVERTISEMENT
"If I had to put my money on it now, I would predict a [Melinda Doolittle vs. Jordin Sparks] final," said Cowell during Wednesday night's broadcast of Entertainment Tonight.
If you've watched any Idol in recent weeks, Cowell's foretelling of the two finalists shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
Cowell's always been a fan of Doolittle, a 29-year-old former background vocalist from Brentwood, TN. After she cruised through the semifinals and into the Top 12, Cowell has called her "a young Gladys Knight;" compared her to Tina Turner; questioned whether he'll ever be able to criticize her for anything; and referred to her most recent performance as a "vocal master class."
As for Sparks, the 17-year-old from Glendale, AZ has grown on the often sharp-tongued British judge, who called Sparks "the most improved contestant" during Idol's Top 10 performance show. While he was not as impressed with Sparks' next two weekly performances, Cowell stated Sparks could win the entire competition following her performance in last week's Top 7 show. This week, he added "brilliant" to his praise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Of course Cowell also couldn't escape the interview without offering his thoughts on Sanjaya Malakar, the 17-year-old Federal Way, WA resident who was a thorn in Cowell's sixth-season side until he was eliminated when the Top 6 were revealed.
"I'm glad that he was on the show. But I'm equally glad that he's not going to win," Cowell told Entertainment Tonight.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio